Venom (Review)

It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker — Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

I was afraid that the books after Gin retires from being an assassin might take on a more everyday-woman tone with just a splash of violence, but I shouldn’t have worried. Venom continues the series in gory wonderfulness as Gin continues to become a vigilante who takes care of her friends and other people she comes across, taking out the bad guys that everyone else is afraid to touch.

I really enjoyed the stalker-creepy-“boyfriend” thing going on in this book, and particularly liked how it brought Gin closer to Roslyn. Plus, it was interesting to see how her magic and perspective on her sister starts to evolve throughout this book. And! Oh, the big and. The addition of Owen in replacement for the Detective has got to be one of the best things about this book. It’s nice to see someone taking more of an interest in Gin and not judging her every second of the day. I’m holding out hope that this relationship will last and make her a bit more confident in herself. It’s such a better fit.

Venom was intricate and fast-paced, with a lot of action and violence going on throughout. Definitely kept me entertained.